The Igloo Tag Trademark

Inuit art first appeared on Canadian and international markets in the 1950’s and rapidly gained popularity with the buying public. With its market success, however, it quickly attracted imitators and counterfeiters. As early as the mid-1950s, mass-produced replicas marketed as “Inuit carvings” started reaching the Canadian marketplace from overseas. Initially, these objects were made of resin compound that copied Inuit themes and style, but over time manufacturers expanded their product lines and presented theses fakes as if they were genuinely and authentically Inuit made. Some went so far as to adopt Inuit sounding names, including “artist” biographies, and adding Inuit legends and stories in the accompanying merchandising cards. Many stopped just short of claiming that the “artists” were Inuit, blurring the truth with linguistic license and marketing obscuration.

When these inexpensive fabrications first appeared, the Canadian government was quick to respond. Having contributed to the collapse of the traditional subsistence economy, the government hoped the sale of Inuit artworks would help towards countering unemployment and poverty in many of the recently established Arctic settlements.

The Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, now Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada [CIRNA] developed the Canadian Eskimo Art and Design (CEAAD) mark, registering it in 1958 to protect consumers and, subsequently, Inuit artists. The symbol chosen to represent the authenticity of Inuit-made products was a stylized igloo with the words “Eskimo Art”, or later “Eskimo Art Esqimau”, incorporated in the design
of the mark. Thereafter, the mark became universally known as the “Igloo Tag”. The Igloo Tag Trademark program was administered through the federal government by way of nine authorized Inuit art distributors, who were formally licensed to use the tag.

In 2014, after several years of consultations across Inuit Nunangat and southern Canada with artists, collectors, dealers and government organizations, the newly created Indigenous Affairs and Northern Affairs Canada Development (INAC, formerly DIAND, now CIRNAC) began the process of transferring the Igloo Tag Trademark to the Inuit Art Foundation (IAF), Canada’s Inuit-governed, national organization dedicated to supporting the work of Inuit artists. All trademark and other legal rights to the Igloo Tag Trademark, as well as responsibilities for its administration and enforcement, were transferred to the IAF in July 2017.

The most obvious change to the Igloo Tag undertaken by the IAF has been the debut of an updated version of the mark which changes the language of the tag to say “inuit art”, “art inuit” and “art inuit art” respectively.

Previously, the use of Igloo Tag was limited to governments, wholesale distributors and one craft guild. Today there are three license categories under the current Igloo program: an Artist Association or Non-Profit Organization, Inuit Art Retailer and Inuit Art Distributor, which were introduced as a way to license more organizations to use, display and promote the tag and support artists.

The tag helps to protect Inuit artists from fraud, cultural appropriation and theft, while providing buyers and collectors provenance. Licensees are assigned a unique identification number, which is restricted to the license holder, and the Igloo Tag is to only be applied to Inuit art. Upon purchase of artwork from an Inuk artist, authorized licensees affix a physical Igloo tag to the piece. The tag includes the artist’s name, community, the title of the work and the year the artwork was made. A number to the bottom-right of the physical tag identifies the license holder.

The past few years have provided an opportunity to reassess the significance of the tag within the changing landscape of contemporary Inuit art. Research undertaken by the IAF, as well as by CIRNAC through their 2017 “Impact of the Inuit Arts Economy” study, has revealed that the tag is widely recognized in the southern marketplace, and the economic impact of the tag remains strong. The 2017 study determined that collectors are willing to pay more for a work with the trademark than one without, by as much as $117 on average, which generates approximately $3.5 million a year in additional revenues through the five legacy licensees.

One important objective of the IAF’s outreach is to determine if and how the tag can be expanded to include more artistic disciplines. Inuit artists now embrace many disciplines including the performing arts, literary arts and film and media arts. It is our hope that preliminary conversations with artists and organizations promoting these disciplines show support for a national brand and program to support artists and raise awareness of their work.

The Igloo Tag is widely recognized throughout the art world as a mark of Inuit authenticity and plays a prominent role in protecting Inuit artists, dealers and collectors of Inuit art from its appropriation and unauthorized reproduction. Inuit communities benefit enormously from the sale of genuine, original art. Inuit art appropriation represents not just an economic challenge to Inuit communities engaged in the production of art, but constitutes blatant appropriation of Inuit cultural traditions and practices.

For over sixty years the Igloo Tag has been an important and necessary instrument in countering the misinformation surrounding the marketing of Inuit art. As the Inuit Art Foundation continues to enhance its visibility and works towards expanding its role, the need for broader education about contemporary Inuit art and culture is still great.